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Deputy Editor, espn.com.au- Sam was brought up on long drives and the dusty fields of north-west New South Wales, where he developed his love of rugby from an early age. He joined ESPN after a five-year stint heading up Fox Sports Australia's digital rugby coverage.
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Special to ESPN- John Goliath is a long-suffering Tottenham Hotspur fan, who likes to watch running rugby on sunny days at Newlands. He also wishes he could hit low stingers off the tee like Tiger Woods.
The opening month of Super Rugby is in the books with only the Highlanders and Rebels still owning a blemish-free record.
They both have tough games in Round 5 however, particularly the Highlanders who welcome the Crusaders to Dunedin for the latest edition of the southern derby. The Rebels, meanwhile, head north to face the struggling Waratahs.
Elsewhere, Damian McKenzie is back at fullback for a Chiefs side coming off the bye; the two-time champions enjoying their first game at home this year, against the Bulls. Meanwhile, the Reds are in Buenos Aires while the Blues look for another win in Africa, this time against the Stormers.
Read on for some of the key storylines ahead of this weekend's action.
Australian Conference
Turnovers killing Tahs as Rebels eye fourth win
Hands up if you had Melbourne Rebels unbeaten after three rounds? Keep your hand up if you said they'd win all three with a bonus point. No? We didn't think so.
But that's exactly the situation last year's cellar-dwellars find themselves in heading to Sydney on Sunday; better still, they are at the summit of this year's Super Rugby table.
The Waratahs, meanwhile, sit at 1-1-1 and nine points behind their southern rivals in the Australian conference, sitting in eighth position on the overall ladder. The season ledger suggests it's been a reasonable start to the season but the truth lies in the detail; the Tahs could so easily be at 0-3.
Gifted a final chance at victory by the Stormers after full time in Round 2, which in fairness they converted, the Waratahs then scrambled to a draw in Durban via a late converted try. But their luck ran out in Buenos Aires last week, when they turned in an insipid first-half effort in a performance eerily similar to the tripe they offered up for much of last year.
Suddenly, the murmurs about Daryl Gibson's job are growing ever louder and the Kiwi finds himself staring down the form team of the competition. It's also the first time this year the Waratahs have faced Australian opposition, save for a preseason trial game which, coincidentally, was against the Rebels.
While the Rebels have shown some excellent attacking signs, they have also been swift to capitalise on their opposition's ill-discipline -- most recently against the Brumbies last week, when they crossed for three tries while Les Makin was in the Sin Bin. Having a one-man advantage, the Rebels have used the extra space superbly.
The Waratahs, on the other hand, have been their own worst enemy. Gibson's side have averaged 18.7 turnovers per game -- the most of any side in the competition -- unable to settle into a cohesive 15-man unit their roster suggests they should be.
The return of Sekope Kepu should help to solidify the Waratahs' scrum on Sunday afternoon, but the signs of concern aren't at all restricted to the set-piece. Gibson needs a far more committed showing from his entire 23 if the Waratahs are to secure a second victory for 2018, and their coach's job for at least another week.
Match Centre: Brumbies vs Sharks
Match Centre: Waratahs vs Rebels
New Zealand Conference
The Zoo will be rocking, so too the rugby
The Southern Derby. Under the Forsyth Barr Stadium roof. On St Patricks Day. Four weeks into University semester. The students deserve a night off, right?
Has a more devilishly desirable set of circumstances ever come together to put on the biggest rugby clash on New Zealand's South Island? One would suggest not, and the fixture is amplified by the fact the Highlanders and Crusaders have just one defeat between them, that being the defending champions' loss to the Hurricanes last week.
"It's going to be awesome, it's a great atmosphere, running out to a full Zoo and a packed house is awesome," Crusaders fullback David Havili told ESPN this week. "It's a bit loud in there at times but it's just really awesome to run out to a stadium like that where the fans are really close like that, and they get behind both teams."
The Zoo, as mentioned by Havili, is the portion of the grandstand occupied by the students from the University of Otago who don gold-and-blue jumpsuits and basically have the time of their lives while a game of rugby is played out in front of them.
The music is loud, the students are loud and the rugby ... well it seldom disappoints.
Both the home and away fixtures appeared to be going the Highlanders' way last season until late Crusaders heroics, most notably from Mitchell Hunt in Christchurch, saw Scott Robertson's side come away with the victories before they then proved far too strong in their quarterfinal, also at AMI Stadium.
"They beat us three times last year, so it's in the back of our minds of course," Highlanders lock Tom Franklin said earlier this week. "But new year, new season, new beginnings, new coaches; it's all a new start. So this game's a whole new ball-game.
"It's always good to play in front our home crowd with the students coming down and with O-Week and all that... awesome atmosphere. It's the best stadium in the world in my opinion, so I love playing here."
Bookmakers tab.com.au have installed the Crusaders as slight $1.90 favourites opposed to the Highlanders [$1.95], which reinforces just how close this clash is expected to be. It is the one game you simply must not miss this weekend.
Match Centre: Chiefs vs. Bulls
Match Centre: Highlanders vs. Crusaders
African Conference
SBW and hard-running Blues looking to exploit fragile Stormers
Blues and All Blacks centre Sonny Bill Williams is unlikely to be distracted this weekend against the Stormers, despite being inadvertently dragged into the feud between South African cricket fans and Australian opener David Warner.
Williams was in fine form in the Blues' first win of the Super Rugby season against the Lions, making a few strong runs and executing his trademark offloads in the tackle with precision.
The Stormers, coming off three defeats on their tour of Australasia, seem to be fragile on defence in the middle of the park, which makes them a prime target for the hard-running and skilful Williams, who actually enjoys a massive following in Cape Town.
The Stormers are missing many senior players through injury, with Sevens star Seabelo Senatla (groin) the latest player to be ruled out of action. After a tough trip, the hard-running Blues are probably the last team Robbie Fleck's Stormers wanted to face -- and especially dangerous Williams. But this is a game in which they can redeem themselves after needlessly blowing chances to win against the Waratahs and Highlanders. However, they will need to be a lot sharper, especially on defence and at set-piece time.
Match Centre: Stormers vs. Blues
Match Centre: Lions vs. Sunwolves
Match Centre: Jaguares vs Queensland Reds
It's a big week for ...
The people of Canberra
The Brumbies are at home for the first time this season and there is no better opportunity for fans of the two-time champions, or even the NRL's Canberra Raiders, to head to GIO Stadium given the cross-code ticket offer.
The Brumbies and Raiders have joined forces to offer supporters a $40 ticket to see the rugby boys battle the Sharks on Saturday, followed by the Raiders' Round 2 NRL clash with Newcastle Knights on Sunday.
Two games for the price of one? The people of Canberra have their weekend sorted.